Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Before 2014 skedaddles out of here forever let's do what we always do here, since 2007 back in Ypsilanti we've played the best version of Johnny's favorite Rolling Stones song, 'Gimme Shelter' right before midnight. There are a few versions of this gem out there but this has the Jack Nicholson commentary before Lisa Fischer makes us all shake like jelly.

We'll see you on the other side and thanks for being part of our New Year's Eve Rock-A Rama.

Liz Phair keeps us rocking and rolling towards midnight. If you're a Jersey City Desk regular, you know what's coming next, at a few minutes to midnight. A Jersey City Desk tradition. First though, 'Polyester Bride' by Liz Phair.

Twelve hours and some change out from the big moment we're gonna keep the energy up today with New Jersey's own and a pretty cool video to boot.

They should just put a giant Jon Bon Jovi head on top of the Prudential Center shouldn't they? It could light up and spin and music could pump out of it and on game nights when the Devils score sparks would shoot out of his eyes.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Everyone's least favorite Canadian singer, (no not Anne Murray) Justin Bieber jumped out of his limo yesterday outside Madison Square Garden and luckily he had his skateboard with him (Either that or he's become goddamned Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now who took his surfboard everywhere with him) since the Biebs wanted to do some skateboarding down some steps. We're not going to bore you with him trying again and again and again to get his trick right. Here's the only part you the discerning Jersey City Desk viewer wanna see:

Though we've had our differences with the mayor, we fully support Mayor Fulop in his comments about Governor Christie and Cuomo's shortsighted and toothless Port Authority suggestions. To close the PATH system on weekends from 1Am til 5AM? Way to make this side of the Hudson an overnight parking lot, dumbasses. All to save $10 million? How about we cut back on some of the graft at the Port Authority and get a forensic accounting of their books. Then we can go root out the incredible amount of overtime they seem to chew through. Screw the PA.

Fight on Mr. Mayor, and Mayor Zimmer et al, we have your back on this.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Wowser. Yes, Johnny is a Red Wings fan but this is a must see goal for every hockey fan. In overtime vs. Ottawa, Detroit's Gustav Nyquist holds onto the puck for 28.6 seconds (Timed by CBC's Hockey Night in Canada) by himself before netting the winner. Amazing.

Johnny felt the NYPD turning their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio during the funeral processions and eulogy of NYPD Detective Rafael Ramos was the height of poor taste. Today was all about the sacrifice made by Detective Ramos for ALL the citizens of New York City. He was an officer OF the city, not just serving the police union. What did the police unions do? They made it about themselves which is simply distasteful. The contingent of cops that turned their backs on the Mayor who was elected by 73% of city residents had better understand whom they work for. NYC is not a police state. The NYPD falls under the purview of non-police officials for a reason. Get with the program boys and girls or go be cops somewhere else.

Oh man what bad video for a great song. Sometimes you wish your heroes, (in Johnny's case Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds here) were never in such god-awful videos with no imagination and no coolness to them AT ALL. So maybe this one time you can just close your eyes and let the music play. Rockpile and 'Teacher, Teacher'

Finishing up the final Music Series of 2014 falls to the Ting Tings and 'That's Not My Name.' We're going to skip the Music Series next Friday as anyone who knows how Thursday and New Year's Eve works around this place won't be wanting for music come next Friday.

Now head off into this good Friday night belting out this chorus as loud as you can:

El Diablos waited until Boxing Day to let head coach Pete DeBoer go but let him go they did. No word at press time of who the replacement will be going forward. DeBoer led the Devils to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final where the Devils lost in six games to the Kings.

Johnny's favorite Pete DeBoer moment as Devils coach? Letting then-Rangers coach John Tortorella know how the game at MSG was going to be played that night:

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are in Johnny's hometown of Detroit this afternoon to take on North Carolina (and their non-existant plan to actually have student athletes learn anything while enrolled) in at 4:30 today. We're just going to go ahead and call this the old Motor City Bowl for reference purposes because unless Johnny gets paid by the actual bowl sponsors themselves, six figures, he's not using corporate names. The game on paper anyway looks like it could be quite the offensive affair. Let's take a look.

Rutgers comes into their Motor City Bowl at 7-5 and a pretty good first season in the B1G all things considered. RU proved the doubters who said they didn't belong in such a conference, and certainly couldn't compete in such a conference, well wrong. RU is a good, not great team, that is a difficult team to play against, who never give up (See Maryland game) and are quite capable in getting the B1G off on the right bowl foot. In fact Johnny expects no less today.

North Carolina at the beginning of the year were nothing less than a sieve defense. Their 4-2-5 alignment gave up huge yards and points in losses to East Carolina and Clemson. A bowl game, with the extra practice and film time can help RU re-open the gashes in the UNC defense. Gary Nova' RU's "legendary" QB was third in both TD passes and yards in the B1G this season and should have a big day. Who better for Nova to throw to than the B1G's Leonte Carroo who was second statistically in the conference with 1,043 yards and third in TD catches with 10. The sky is the limit offensively for RU as the UNC defensive head coach for defense, Vic Koenning, left halfway through the year his defense was so very bad. It's not entirely better now.

When it comes to defense against the UNC offense the Scarlet Knights need to contain Tar Heel QB Marquise Williams who is a passing and running threat. He can do both and do both well. RU is going to have to limit one of the two things he does well. Stack the box with an extra LB or safety or play a nickel back often to help contain the UNC passing attack. The UNC offense is good, it can however be contained (they were only 6-6).

We think today the B1G pedigree will come to the fore. RU has played much better offenses and defenses than they'll face today in Michigan State and Ohio State. RU was smoked in both those games but here is where they apply what they learned from those teams and how they'll use it for motivation today. With a win and an 8-5 record this would have to be considered a great season for RU. We think that's exactly what happens today.

Here's a little something for your stockings tonight from Johnny. A video stocking stuffer if you will as a thank-you to all our terrific readers as a small token of our appreciation that you're out there and hopefully enjoying what you read (Johnny has one of the original Romper Room mirrors so yes, he can see you when you drop by).

Johnny's not going to tell you too much, he'd very much like for you to read the story but know a gentleman named David Kohle of Pequannock won the grand prize in NJ.com's Great Grocery Giveaway, a $15,000 gift card redeemable at a supermarket of his choice. Mr. Kohle decided that a lot more good could be done by donating a large portion of that money that keeping it for his own groceries. A wonderful story about a very kind man on Christmas Eve 2014.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Is everyone getting excited? Is everyone all set with shopping? Do you have your Christmas goose in the freezer until tomorrow morning? Growing up Johnny often loved the three or four days leading up to Christmas so much with all their excitement and anticipation and school parties and family dropping by it built up to something the day of Christmas itself could never live up to. As an adult he's far better and pacing himself in his holiday expectations. Now it's all good. What does this have to do with egg nog and a gif? Nothing.

So, there's Johnny getting ready to close up the Jersey City Desk offices and head home for the night when he decided to have one last glass of egg nog and it brought this idea to mind. There are many great parts to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation that make it such a great movie. One small part that makes Johnny laugh every year is Clark and Cousin Eddie enjoying egg nog in those classic Marty Moose glasses when Cousin Eddie suddenly takes an interest in some kind of wooden wheel, the type that may spin if a candle burned under it, and with one flick of a finger just destroys it and stands over the pile of wooden blades still pondering what the hell it was.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Here's a Christmas present compliments of Rolling Stone magazine. It's an article and interview with just about all the actors and participants in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the holiday classic of our generation. Just follow this handy link and read what really is an interesting article with some great backstory.

OK, the weather is going to get progressively worse as we head to Christmas Eve. The rain will pick up and could be heavy on the 24th, the winds are most assuredly going to pick up and by tomorrow night flooding starts to become a concern. But for now, well, Johnny was doing some checking and saw this marvelous statistic from Wunderground that 1.6 mph is now measured as a gust of wind. You probably exhale faster than 1.6 mph.

All you other religions (Christians pay close attention since you basically started acting like squatters on this holiday) and non-religious people may rejoice because today is the shortest day of the year meaning tomorrow the days get longer and hopefully warmer!

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Friday, December 19, 2014

FOUR, that's right FOUR Christmas themed songs tonight as Johnny empties his goodie sack of music into your ear stockings. For Johnny the best part of the holidays and Christmas is seeing family and friends and to that end no song is better to kick off this year's Christmas Cavalcade o' Tunes than 'Please Come Home for Christmas' by Pat Benatar and those amazing pipes of hers. Better take the train if this video is any indicator. All aboard!

Let's be clear, Aretha Franklin could sing 'Muskrat Love' and make it not suck (so badly). So let's get into that Christmas mood with the Queen of Soul giving her take on 'Winter Wonderland'. Now this here is a Christmas song...

Our celebration of really cool Christmas songs lands us on Mr. Sting (Sting all the way!) and his wonderful song, 'Gabriel's Message' done in that great Sting way. You know what we mean. Good Sting, not whining Sting.

Sure, everybody and his or her brother has done and remade and covered this Chuck Berry classic. For Johnny's money, Dave Edmunds just gets 'Run Rudolph Run' just right. Therefore we're going to wind up this year's Christmas Music Series with the best Christmas song there is.

Well, actually it's the Christmas special where we play some of the coolest yulest holiday tunes around. If it's past your bedtime Johnny will sign you a note to your parents it's OK to blast music well into the wee hours just this one time...until New Year's Eve.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Johnny finds beauty in some odd places sometimes. Here's a homemade animated gif tonight of a waterfall of fire and sparks he saw at the Mill Creek construction site this morning.
Time for Jersey City, After Dark

That means Jersey City cannot issue these tickets in any fashion, Trenton, Hoboken, Moonachie, Newark (Yes you too Newark), Camden, Piscataway, nowhere can these cameras issue tickets. If you get one now, toss it away.

These cameras never were about safety. A cautionary tale next time any elected official says we NEED to institute something on a state or local level that will require you to pay more "but it's all for improved safety." Bullshit. It's a scheme to remove money from your bank account while the city or state sits back and collects money under false pretenses.

They'll try and find other ways but red light cameras, and the companies who often bribed their way into states to begin with, won't be it.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Yes, the old warehouse at Warren and Morgan St. started to come down this morning, history be damned. There are neighborhood rumors Johnny was told this morning by onlookers that this very building is where former Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini did her burlesque dancing way back when the place was known as "The Jersey Room" but of course this is mere speculation. So Jersey City another piece of history goes bye-bye for rental units and transient residents.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Now, it may just be the boxy portion AT Morgan and Warren (Avoid this area tomorrow drivers) and not the taller well-graffitied warehouse but Johnny confirmed in talking with three guys tasked with taking it down that tomorrow it is. Johnny also hipped them to the fact the small building has no structural integrity as portions of the roof have caved in (looking back in the pictures Johnny took from a friend's place when about 15 "interesting characters" got inside those warehouses and half the Jersey City PD turned out to arrest them, you can see the open roof areas).

This particular building would have most likely had to go but losing a city's history and old warehouses that could have been saved (Like Mill Creek is doing) if the city planning commission had even tried to get the paperwork designating the Powerhouse Arts District a historical district in on time. Inept? Paid off? You tell us, the fact is we lose a lot while the Jersey City planning commission is asleep at the switch.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

No Parking signs next to the old warehouse at Warren and Bay St. warning of 'concrete removal' beginning Monday and lasting til the end of the year have been posted. Johnny has a pretty good idea Toll Brothers is going to tear that warehouse down as part of their downtown clusterfuck where they create parking issues and tons of litter (not to mention their workers urinating in public) for local residents to deal with.

So if you're a photographer who loves old buildings you have 36 hours to shoot that particular warehouse.

Say Jersey City, why not stay home and shop here and eat here tomorrow. There will be tourist shoppers acting like cholesterol on the sidewalks of life uptown, righteous protestors by the tens of thousands starting in Union Square and the spectre of SantaCon popping up wherever drunken brawls pop up, usually near a subway stop.

Let's face it, getting around tomorrow in NYC is going to look a lot like...like...like THIS!

So shop here, eat here. You'll avoid a mess and you'll probably realize Jersey City had what you wanted to buy and eat all along.

A blackout theme here tonight Jersey City with the events of tonight. What better way to kick it off than with the Pat Travers Band and their classic 'Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)' from way back in the happening 70's.

So Johnny knows you're listening when the 'Out Go the Lights!" part comes on open your window and sing it LOUD. Thanks in advance.

A slow song about the lights going out (And a ci-teh) to wrap up this blackout version of the Music Series. This song fits so well into the theme tonight and also walks that very fine line of how much Johnny can stand Steve Perry yowling.. Journey with 'Lights'. Side A is for dancin', side B is for ramancin'

Friday, December 12, 2014

OK, we're not talking about Jersey City here but Wantage in Sussex County. There a fire ripped through a barn owned by Assemblyman Parker Space. The worst part of all this (the barn can be repaired, thankfully) is that the Assemblyman had stored 150 turkeys for those less fortunate in the barn and those turkeys were destroyed which really sets back the effort to feed people in Sussex County.

When he read this Johnny called the Assemblyman Space's office to see if there was something we as a city of good people could do to help. Space's Chief of Staff said they don't have a fund set up or a place to make donations but that she's get back with Johnny and Johnny in turn will pass that info on to you. If you'd like to contact Sussex County Social Services directly you can find them at:

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

And as if this day couldn't get any happier, funner or more superer Johnny's alma mater, the mighty HURONS Of Eastern Michigan went into Ann Arbor a mere three nights after NJIT beat Michigan at Crisler Arena and won 45-42 playing a ferocious zone defense. NJIT and the small team a stone's throw down Washtenaw Avenue have beaten the defending B1G champs from a year ago...this week.

What must that feel like for a Michigan fan you ask?
Snork. Big ups to the EMU team and coaching staff. Party at Sidetrack and Frenchie's tonight! This calls for the fight song!

On what will probably be the worst day of the year weather-wise Johnny and the Jersey City Desk staff are ready here to help you through it. We're gonna start it off with a very logical choice, Garbage and 'I'm Only Happy When It Rains'

Monday, December 8, 2014

'Round midnight as this nor' easter starts to hit New Jersey it's going to start to rain. And rain. And rain. The northwest counties north and west of Bergen and Winterfell up by the Wall will get around 6 inches of snow from this mess. For us lowlanders it's a wet and wild Tuesday with 2-3 inches of rain, periods of it very heavy and the usual 20-30 mph winds. Anytime it rains here you know it floods and there will be a Flood Watch from midnight til late tomorrow and a Coastal Flood Advisory in effect from 7 am to 11 am EST Tuesday.

Johnny will do his best to rally the troops tomorrow as we're enacting the Emergency Super Happy Fun Day Protocols that can be put in place to cheer up Jersey City on such a rude day.

Normally the pretty women out walking with gorillas in Johnny's neighborhood are already walking with Johnny. Come on, you still remember the words to 'Is She Really Going out With Him,' belt them out and nobody says you can only listen to it one if you want to do some personal karaoke tonight from the comfort of the comfy chair in front of your computer.

Here's a gold nugget out of nowhere kids. Growing up in Detroit as he did Johnny heard this song on the WRIF, WABX, WWWW and WCSX airwaves over the years. A nice snarling little rocker tonight, 'Come to Poppa'

Friday, December 5, 2014

Ah yes, the Monkees. What to make of a band that at one point had Jimi Hendrix open for them even though they didn't write their own music or play their own instruments 99% of the time. They did have a few catchy hit songs like this one here that was written by the guy who played Reuben Kincaid on The Partridge Family and we'll bet you didn't know that.

You fucked up and you fucked up in a way that's going to follow you in what's left of your career. You gutless piece of shit. It's a brave new world out here now Friend-O. People aren't afraid of you and your racist slow-walking of cherry picked evidence anymore. Your types are gonna move aside or be tossed out. Don't think so? Better have some donuts and good coffee on Monday morning when the Justice Department stops by for a visit.

Ladies and Jellyspoons I give you Staten Island Richmond County District Attorney Daniel Donovan, Jr., the man who quite intentionally brought you all this by his lack of interest in doing his job. It belongs on his doorstep. "Officer" Daniel Pantaleo acted rashly, and stupidly, and like an out of control cowboy with no brain in his head. It's then your JOB Mr. District Attorney to hold him to account. You didn't which can only lead us to think you have even fewer brains. The coroner ruled it murder. The chokehold was banned. Are you telling us you saw something the entire globe did not or is your nose so far up the NYPD's ass you'll simply say yes, Black Lives Don't Matter when it comes to protecting rogue idiot cops in my conservative district which then means Black Lives Don't Matter at all to you.

A clearly broken system will be respected and neither can this farce of a grand jury decision.

Last night the homestanding Knicks were getting beaten by the basketball team formerly known as New Jersey. The Nets have a superfan named Jeffrey Gamblero who cheers for the team as superfans do. He also has a prosthetic leg. Last night with the Knicks losing, the Madison Square Garden Security team of basically thugs told Gamblero to, and this is at a major sporting event, to quiet down as he was cheering wrong. He asked what the problem was according to eyewitnesses at MSG and they told him to simply be a fan.

Nothing ambiguous about that is there? Be a fan. He was, he was cheering for his team who happened to the be the visiting team. After a while the MSG security thug taskforce came to where Gamblero was sitting and dragged him up the stairs to eject him while Gamblero screamed in pain and WITHOUT his prosthetic leg. They left that down at his seat for him apparently out of respect for the disabled.

So if you're planning a concert or event at MSG think again, do you really want to support James Dolan's goon squad who would do such a horrific thing basically because, and let's face facts, because the Knicks were losing is why this all happened, think again. Don't support this kind of 'customer service'.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Johnny is man of this world. He gets out, he talks to people, he knows the dirt the powers that be have on each other (and keep those emails a-comin!) and he eats his way through Jersey City and New York City quite well thank you. In his time pounding the streets, whether just out and about or walking the dire wolf, a man can get hungry. A man knows food trucks have come a long way in haute cuisine and in different styles of nosh. Johnny has sampled a fair amount from food trucks in both Jersey City and NYC.

The food trucks in Jersey City are better.

NYC trucks seem to be too cliche and too much of the same thing. Jersey City trucks are trying new and exciting styles and some almost tasting-menu type stuff all up in your neighborhoods.

With the recent protesting dating as far back as time, or the Occupy Wall Street protests and more recently the protests over the murder of Michael Brown by the Ferguson Missouri PD, the NYPD are admitting they are merely reacting to the situation on the ground. The NYPD says they're not controlling the fluid situation because they are being outmaneuvered by Twitter and disposable cell phones. Never ones to give credit to anyone for using such ten-years-ago-technology to outwit them an NYPD insider whined to the New York Post:

"They wore me out," said one counterterror expert who monitored the protests. "Their ability to strategize on the fly is something we haven't dealt with before to this degree."While the NYPD actively monitors Twitter, Facebook and other social media for intelligence, sources said the official chain of command keeps squadrons of cops from moving around as quickly as protesters.
Sounds like the chain of command is the problem there Skippy, but yeah of course blame others for your failings. Also, they're using counterterror technology to monitor Ferguson Missouri protests. No, no overstepping boundaries there. We're certain when the billions for monitoring equipment was being spent and the place on the form said what will this be used for it simply said EVERYTHING. What toolbags. Billions in the ability to monitor and follow persons of interest and they're bitching to the NY Post.

If you're a protestor, keep on doing what you're doing. A lot of the time in this here America you have to break a few windows to even get anyone to stop counting the money. America itself was born of protest, violent protest. The British no doubt called Washington and Jefferson and Franklin "spoiled brats" from well heeled families who had nothing better to do than agitate. Good thing they kept showing up to the protest meetings using age-old codes to move about secretly in looking back isn't it?

A lot of people won't get no supper tonight
A lot of people won't get no justice tonight

It's the Saturday night Scoreboard Show! A Scoreboard Show AND a Music Series in one night? There ought to be a tax on that much fun!

Michigan State 34
Penn State 10
Michigan State won the toss and elected to beat the bejeesus out of Penn State

Ohio State 42
Michigan 28
In 1973, in their famous 10-10 tie Michigan and OSU had to wait for the athletic directors to pick a team to go to the Rose Bowl. At least two AD's chose OSU because Michigan QB Dennis Franklin broke his collarbone in the 4th quarter and they thought OSU would be a better bet to win. Now, 41 years later fate intervenes again and OSU will watch poll voters do to them what was done to Michigan with the injury to their star QB JT Barrett

Alabama 55
Auburn 44
Alabama, right on schedule

Georgia Tech 30
Georgia 24 OT
Wanting his MSU Spartans to move up in the polling Johnny angrily turned this game off when Georgia scored a TD with 18 seconds to go in regulation. Sorry Ramblin' Wreck, Johnny has learned his lesson!

Oregon 47
Oregon State 19
The battle for the old mill pond goes to the Ducks over the Beavers

Fordham 44
Sacred Heart 22
The Rams double up the Pioneers in their 1-AA playoff game

John Carroll 14
Wheaton, (Ill) 12
Congrats to John Carroll on the Division III playoff game but Wheaton from Illinois could also be read Ill Wheaton

Wartburg 21
St. Johns (MN) 10
Everyone will look stylish in these new WARTBURG shirts

Baylor 48
Texas Tech 46
Baylor almost rued the day

The Jersey City Desk Game of the Week®
Rutgers outscored the stupid Turtles 24-3 in a HUGE second half comeback that saw Rutgers assure themselves of a bowl game in their first year in the B1G. Good on them!

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Sometimes you hear that song in the shower and you sing it and it sticks in your head all week until you can finally get some relief and put it up on the Music Series. Yeah, a song like that would be good here. The Smiths with 'Sheila Take a Bow' to get things rolling tonight.

Know what Johnny likes? Strong women. Know who's a strong woman? Annie Lennox. A once in a generation voice and an amazing talent but even she needs a man once in a while. Don't believe Johnny? Listen up, bub. The Eurythmics with 'I Need a Man'

How about a little bit of Jersey love for those Scarlet Knight of Rutgers who not only held their own in their first season in the B1G against all odds, they finished ahead of Michigan and Penn State. Bruce Springsteen wrapping up a belated Music Series with 'No Surrender'

Well fans here we are, late late November and a season that was supposed to be a soul-crushing doormat trip through their first season ion the B1G actually has a huge opportunity. Rutgers is 6-5 and they NEED this win today and here's why.

Northwestern and Illinois are fighting to be bowl eligible at 6-6, one will today. With a huge upset over the Buckeyes (and they almost did last year) Michigan is 6-6. If Sparty beats Penn State today they will be 6-6. That is just too many 6-6 teams to ASSURE a bowl game for RU. Yes, 6-6 qualifies you but if you think a small bowl game is going to take Rutgers at 6-6 over Michigan and Penn State at 6-6 you're fooling yourself. Don't think the B1G itself would lobby for RU to not go over Michigan or PSU, B1G Commissioner Jim Delany is NOT your friend RU. The B1G look at 6-6 teams doesn't even begin to count all the other 6-6 teams out there. If the Knights want a payout this year they MUST win today.

7-4 Maryland awaits in The Noob Bowl. Maryland is a one TD favorite BUT this is going to have to be a program win for Rutgers. Most of Maryland's success has come away from Byrd Stadium on the road. Rutgers must dig deep, stick to their game plan and cinch a bowl game. We think Gary Nova will shine today.

"...the use of force by officers declined 60%, and citizen complaints against police fell 88%."
So whats not to love, right? We wholeheartedly agree with Jersey City Mayor Fulop in having his police force wear the cameras. These cameras will protect our police, cut down on nuisance suits and give police an on the ground instant feedback machine to check who did what in a chaotic scene.

At the worst possible time for travelers, late tomorrow morning 4-6" of snow will fall in and around the Jersey City area. Anyone who needs to get out of town, this ain't no 1-3 as they were saying yesterday, this is now a serious storm. We're gonna call this one Winter Storm Milton Berle!

Musty the Bear, whose cave is near where the BJ's parking lot meets the Hudson-Bergen light rail tracks at Newport, reminds you to be safe. Musty says these are deep frying no-no's:

*Tossing balls of mashed potatoes at the hot oil like basketball jump shots
*Tossing cranberries at the hot oil like basketball jump shots
*Pretty much don't throw things in the hot oil
*If your turkey overflows the tub and catches your garage on fire, leave it go man, it's gone
*The less people with beers in their hands around the oil tub when the turkey goes down the better
*Get the oil to the proper temperature checking with a cooking thermometer, not the one outside the kitchen window

Musty thanks you and reminds you only YOU can prevent horrible turkey oil burns and garage fires.

A mass execution of trash bags, killed by hanging, and left there to perhaps show other trash bags what happens when you fund terrorism, harm children or break leaving a mess on the kitchen floor was witnessed by this reporter this morning at Second St. and Washington.

Obviously the city is sending a message by leaving them there in such a high traffic area on a Sunday. BAD trash bags. SHAMEFUL trash bags. In the words of Judge Smails in Caddyshack, "Steve Fulop didn't want to do this to them but felt he....owed it to them."

No trial, no nothing. But uh, now that they're dead can we get them down?

New Hampshire 20
Maine 12
New Hampshire turned over everything but the combination to the state vault with all the gold in it, losing three fumbles and three interceptions yet winning anyway

Lafayette 27
Lehigh 7
The oldest rivalry in college football turned 150 at Yankee Stadium today

Minnesota-Duluth 25
NW Missouri St 21
Duluth spent the first three quarters on the team bus eating Cheetos and drinking Red Bulls before storming out in the 4th quarter with 19 unanswered points

The Jersey City Desk Game of the Week®
Wake Forest 6
Virginia Tech 3 2OT
This one has dibs on Game of the Year. It was 0-0 going into overtime meaning for the first time since 2005 nobody scored in a regulation game. That's worth the price of admission, huh? In overtime Wake Forest's Mike Weaver kicked two field goals after missing three in regulation so Mike Weaver may loot and pillage but only for 12 hours because he did miss three field goals...

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Welcome to the RU football Gameday Johnny has waited all year for -- The Michigan State Spartans.

Michigan State is proof Rutgers can succeed in the B1G. Michigan State had drifted for years in the conference without much to take away from, well any of it. Since Duffy Daugherty retired and after Nick Saban left in 1999 MSU fell into a general malaise winning only one Big Ten title in 1990. They'd have some nice runs and the occasional upset of Ohio State or Michigan but nothing you'd go up on rooftops yelling about.

Kinda sorta like Rutgers for the last 25-30 years. A lot of naysayers said Rutgers would be the doormat of the B1G this year and that has been far from true. Rutgers has established a calling card in only their first year as being a team that is difficult to play against and excellent on special teams. Quick, what's Maryland's calling card? Exactly. It's not as bad as all that Scarlet Knights fans. Mark Dantonio at MSU has taken overlooked two and three star recruits and coached them better than anyone else in the midwest and has become a national power in the process. Rutgers has a good coach in Kyle Flood. If he can have three or four years to get his guys in that FIT the program he's trying to build, and gets guys overlooked with something to prove and yes, nine or ten win seasons are not out of the question. Johnny's not saying it's going to happen overnight or that Rutgers will become Auburn or Alabama any time soon but RU is positioned well right now.

OK, football! This is an A gap blitz. MSU runs these a LOT:

See the two middle linebackers get a healthy running start at the opposing team's backfield? Yeah, and if Gary Nova does not handle these Pat Narduzzi blitzes Rutgers is in for a long day. Why can Michigan St. blitz like this? Their cornerbacks play tight press coverage and are very good at it. They know most long passes are not completed especially when A) the QB is under great pressure and B) The defender is good. The Spartans dare the opposition to throw long. In order for RU to keep things close and hope for an upset Gary Nova is going to have to hit at least three plays of 50 yards or more. He is going to have to prove to the 75,000 green and white fans on Senior Day he can go long and keep going long. Though not a strength Rutgers is going to need to run the ball against the Green Wall for around 100 yards to keep Nova upright when he passes.

When MSU has the ball they have perhaps the most balanced offense in the conference. Pro to be Connor Cook is not afraid to use his arm (Note: At least once a game he WILL throw a pass that makes MSU fans wonder if he's blind) and has a cadre of good receivers and one great one. Tony Lippett, (#14 in your program but #1 in your heart) has had a breakout season. He's big, strong, fast and makes great catches for long gains:

Getting back to how Rutgers can emulate Michigan St. by smart player selection; all everything running back Jeremy Langford was a third team defensive back after his freshman year. It cost MSU nothing to move him and see if his talents didn't fit better elsewhere. Smart good coaching can cover a lot of holes. Look at Langford now, over 100 yards for 13 straight games. He has 33 career TD's. All they did was move him.

Langford has fumbled in the past and as noted above Connor Cook is prone to a horrid throw every so often believing in his arm more than he should. Rutgers is going to need turnovers and will most likely need one of their patented blocked kicks for a score to keep it close and spring what would be a huge upset and BIG program win for Kyle Flood and RU.

All this being said Johnny is gonna go with his deep seeded loyalties today in the rain/snow/fog of East Lansing.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Yeah, Johnny's cheating on the calendar tonight sipping egg nog and listening to music and it's not even December yet. Go ahead, call the authorities Johnny dares you. The arrest, court case and publicity will only lead to more street cred.

Johnny can tell you without a doubt what his favorite all-time slow song is. Can you? Quick, Johnny will give you a chance to read this story and listen to this incredible song that long ago put a hook in Johnny probably no other slow song has. 'Sara' is simply a one of a kind and Johnny can tell you the very first time he heard it, camping outside one night in George Fischer's front yard in 1979.

That's a big fucking hook eh?

Get your learn on as Stevie talks about writing the song while you listen to what heaven sounds like.

"I wrote Sara on the piano, by myself. The original Sara was 16 minutes long. Like about nine more verses than what you hear on the record. It got edited down to 14 minutes, down to 11 minutes, down to 9 minutes, down to 7 minutes, down to 4 minutes and 40 seconds. I was to the point where I went, 'Is the word Sara even going to be left in the song?'

I knew that Sara would be very popular because I loved writing that song. I've had more fun writing that...I remember the night I wrote it. 'I sat up with a very good friend of mine whose name is Sara, who was married to Mick Fleetwood. She likes to think it's completely about her, but it's really not completely about her. It's about me, about her, about Mick, about Fleetwood Mac. Its about all of us at that point. There's little bits about each one of us in that song and when it had all the other verses it really covered a vast bunch of people. Sara was the kind of song you could fall in love with, because I fell in love with it..."
-- Stevie Nicks, Tommy Vance show, May 1994

The king of Dire Straits has always done wonderful solo stuff. Interesting, great storytelling and as always terrific, thoughtful lyrics. Johnny is dedicating this song, 'Who's Your Baby Now' to all the gals who passed Johnny over and or god forbid broke up with him before he became rich, powerful, and above the law.

Whoa, Johnny, what brought this on? You're normally positive on people. Yes friends but news from back in Michigan has reached Johnny's ears by raven of a gal who quite pointedly told Johnny one day she was leaving him because he wouldn't make a good solid husband one day and her college psychology courses had taught and prepped her on how to pick the right man and stay married. She knew friends, she foresaw Johnny's failings. Next year is Johnny's 30th anniversary and now gal who bailed on Johnny recently began her third marriage so see, the vindictive story has a happy ending after all.

Ok, are you ready, by the time the song hits the line "Don't talk back, just drive the car" we want you spitting that out just like Peter Gabriel does. C'mon, loudly with seething contempt and let 'er fly!

It would be horrid enough just to say they murdered an unarmed man but with things being the way they are these days with police murdering a LOT of unarmed black men, well then this needs to be put on the table.

“What happened last night was a very unfortunate tragedy,” said NYPD Commissioner William Bratton at a Friday news conference. “... It appears this may have been in fact an accidental discharge.”

Yes, so whatever, no problem here right Mr. Bratton. Just let your unqualified officers just fire their big guns into dark stairwells every time they get nervous. What complete and utter shit. If someone had been horsing around with a gun and shot and murdered an NYPD officer they'd be filing terrorism charges about now. No apologies accepted until Peter Liang sits in a jail cell for his stupidity that cost another human being their life.

A neutral site game is what the Jets will face as yet another 3-4 feet of snow fell in and just south of Buffalo today forcing the NFL to move the game to either Detroit, Pittsburgh or Washington but no final announcement has been made yet. We'd expect tickets to be free, seriously on that, to help fill the stadium wherever it turns out to be.

Dutton was out driving around with friends and pulled into a Wendy's drive-thru on Garfield when a full moon or something cosmic must have happened because it was at that very moment, in the drive-thru line Dutton got out and became "Oopy from Bullet Town." She began climbing through the drive-thru window, you know, like ya do. She got inside and Oopy then began assaulting employees and then threatened them with gang violence.

Oopy From Bullet Town. The Jersey Journal helps out in telling us Bullet Town is the nickname of the Booker T. Washington public housing complex where Oopy lives. No word on how Oopy came to be. There's much more on this at the link including Oopy's use of floor cleaner as a weapon and how police traced down Public Enemy Number Oopy.

Monday, November 17, 2014

This is so cool; A family in Raritan Township shares their home with a small colony of bats. OK, first question answered upfront, NO the bats cannot get inside the home but due to a storm window that won't fully close they do have a family of brown bats hanging out between panes. Instead of freaking out, the family that owns the home decided to let bats be bats and have set up amazing webcams so people like you and Johnny can learn about these very secretive creatures. So much more on this story at the link.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

This'll put your head on a swivel if you have not heard the story before. In 1864 President Abraham Lincoln's son, Robert Todd, was on his was home to Washington D.C. from Harvard and was standing on a train platform in Newark. As a train began to pull out his jacket got caught causing Lincoln to lose his balance and start to fall onto the tracks. His jacket was grabbed by a stranger and he was pulled up and saved from severe injury or perhaps death. Lincoln immediately recognized the person who saved him, famous actor Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth who would assassinate Lincoln's father the very next year.

Alabama 25
Mississippi St. 20
Of all the teams vying for one of those four golden rings did anyone really doubt Alabama wouldn't get one?

Wisconsin 59
Nebraska 24
Melvin Gordon ran for a record 408 yards in THREE QUARTERS. Get the feeling the Nebraska defense feels like Kevin Bacon at the end of Animal House in 2-D?

Rutgers 45
Indiana 23
A bowl game chopping RU will go and good on them. Before RU fans throw back that last shot of tequila Tevin Coleman DID run for 307 on the Scarlet Knights, a sobering thought perhaps

North Dakota 30
N. Arizona 28
The streets of Grand Forks are rife with drunken revelers. Oh and North Dakota won

Lehigh 30
Colgate 27
The Mountain Hawks hang on in what has become a season of their discount tent

E Kentucky 43
Murray St. 36
Murray St. led by 20 at halftime, blew that lead and made up for it by letting Dy'Shawn Mobley score all six touchdowns for E. Kentucky. Maybe they were sleepy Racing around like that all the time

Furman 31
Wofford 14
P.J. Blazejowski had 305 yards on a perfect 15-of-15 passing, threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third for Furman. We wonder if he's any relation to Bill Blazejowski from the old movie Night Shift:

Jersey City Desk Game of the Week®
San Diego 32
Valparaiso 27
As long as Johnny has been doing the Scoreboard Show, as far back as Ypsilanti and never have two players been allowed to loot and pillage a town for 24 hours...until tonight. Keith Williams threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Brandon White as time expired and the Toreros clinched a spot in the 1-AA playoffs. Commence to looting lads.